Live to Rise
by Kai Maciel
Summary: The team has a new opponent: the Red Hood, a dangerous vigilante who manages to stay one step ahead of them. However, when a new foe is able to control the dead, Nightwing and Robin are forced to join forces with the young criminal. Not only the Red Hood knows a lot about the infamous Lazarus Formula, but Jason Todd's body, Dick's deceased Robin sucessor, has disappeared.
1. Dark Night

**Hello! This is my take on the character of Jason Todd (second Robin) in the Young Justice universe. Maybe I'm part of a minority, but I love his character on both Batman: Under the Red Hood and the new Red Hood and the Outlaws (yes, I'm a girl and I don't care if Starfire is a walking sex symbol, she can wear whatever she wants).**

**I hope you like my story! Enjoy!**

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**Dark Night**

**_Antarctica _**

**_February 13, 2015, 01:45 _**

Project Lazarus was officially a failure.

It could have been a true medical miracle. Creating a formula from the water of Ra's al Ghul Lazarus Pit to raise the dead could have been the secret of immortality, but Ra's and Talia weren't interested on bringing average humans back to life. No. They wanted worthy warriors who could serve them, but it all went horribly wrong.

The dead could walk and fight, but their minds and souls were gone. They were no more than mindless zombies who attacked everyone that got in their way, thus they had to be taken down once more. Ra's had been so disgusted that he terminated the Project, but one of the doctors saw an opportunity. What if he could control the zombies somehow? Why bring back their minds if they could be such an amazing weapon with just their bodies?

The doctor disappeared with the formula and Ra's al Ghul ordered the complete destruction of the facilities along with the remaining zombies, corpses and anyone who knew about the project.

Talia al Ghul was overseeing the wipe out herself, ignoring the screams and the blood and focusing on the matter at hand. It was bad enough that one doctor had manged escape with the formula and she wanted to make sure no one else was going to repeat his feat. They would have to deal with Dr. Robb later in the most painful way possible.

Talia watched as her men went down to the twentieth floor of the facility and effectively killed the employees and burned the pods were the zombies were resting. She was about to alert the warriors about a separate pod when she noticed the readings of the zombie's vitals in the computer and frowned. They were... normal. If she didn't know, she would have thought they belonged to a living person.

Silently, Talia walked towards body nº 2620 and gasped when she saw his face. She ran to the computer and quickly read all the data on him.

At first, nº 2620 was just another mindless zombie staring at nothing from his pod until the doctors decided to give him a different dose of the Lazarus formula and wait for the results. His mind was blurry and it was difficult to think, but he started to take notice of his surroundings. However, what made the doctors remove him from the other experiments and consider him a special case was that he could talk. Actually, he jabbered and wasn't able to keep a normal conversation for long. Often, he either asked where he was despite being given an answer or he called for someone named Bruce over and over before breaking into tears.

When nº 2620 woke up with the sound of the shootings, he was too drugged to care. Besides, he was restrained so he couldn't do anything but lift his head and try to understand what was going on. When a dark-haired woman appeared over his face, he frowned. Her face was familiar. He had met her before, fought her…

"Ta… Talia?" the teen asked, watching her shocked face.

"Robin? Robin, is that you?" Talia asked.

_Robin_. That's right. He was Robin, the Boy Wonder. The second person to wear the black and red costume. He was Batman's sidekick…

"I can believe this…" Talia mumbled. "I can't believe Father actually brought you too…"

"Batman" the boy interrupted. "Where's Batman?"

Talia bit her lower lip and glanced at her men, then she pressed the controls on the computer and the boy's body fell limp against her.

"Commander!" she yelled at a muscular man who immediately came to her. "Tell the men to finish the job and come with me to the surface. We're leaving."

The man looked at the battered body of the boy she was holding. "What about this one? The orders were not to leave **anything** behind."

"I'll make an exception. He's special" Talia answered bitterly. "My Father will support me on this decision."

Nodding, the Commander took the boy in his arms and the three of them left the facility into the cold of the Antarctic night. The boy was shivering terribly and when someone wrapped a blanket over his body, he felt a rush of panic because he realized he wasn't wearing his costume or his domino mask.

"Calm down, Jason Todd" Talia said, forcing his blurry eyes to look at her. "It's alright. We all know who you are. It doesn't matter anymore."

Even though he was drugged, the boy reacted to his real name. He knew no one was supposed to know his name was Jason Todd. Both Bruce and Dick and told him not to reveal it and never use it on the field.

"Where's… Batman?" he asked again.

Talia lowered her eyes. "Forget about him, Jason."

"Where… is… Batman?" Jason went on, his voice growing more desperate. "Where…?"

Talia grabbed Jason's shoulders. Her touch was almost gentle.

"He's not coming, Jason."

* * *

**_Gotham City _**

**_December 24, 21:34_**

It had just started to snow when Jason started to jump from roof to roof. No one saw him, not only because he was being extremely careful but also because most people were too busy celebrating Christmas Eve or minding their own business to care.

The teen boy was wearing a dark hood and his face was covered by several bandages and a scarf. He didn't want anyone to see his face, not yet at least. Talia had told him that he would look normal in time, that his hollow eyes and his burned skin were definitely going to heal, but he didn't trust her. It didn't matter that she was been the reason he was alive, she was definitely waiting to use him for her own schemes.

Knowing that he had died was a shock, but learning that he had been brought back from the dead like some Frankenstein monster was a lot of crazy. We would have been permanently retarded if Talia hadn't tossed him into the original Lazarus Pit to heal his brain. After that, he spent months on physical therapy until his body was strong enough to flee.

Jason wanted to go back to Gotham. He wanted to let Bruce know that he was still alive (Dick too, but he would never admit it). He missed the big, cozy Wayne Manor; he missed Alfred and his sarcastic remarks, he missed Bruce brooding nature and, deep down, he kinda missed Dick too.

When Jason saw the Manor, he couldn't wait to see their faces when they realized he was alive and kicking ass. No doubt Bruce and Dick were going to nag him about how reckless he had been and how it got him killed, but he knew he could do better this time around. He was going to be the greatest Robin that ever existed! C'mon! How many heroes came back from the dead?

Talia had tried to trick him with lies to make him take her side. She had told him that he hadn't been avenged and that the Joker had simply been sent into Arkham only escape like nothing had happened and Batman hadn't done anything to make him pay for Jason's death. She had also told him that no one really missed him, that his death had been a release. Batman and his comrades thought of him as too violent, arrogant and brash. He was nothing like Dick and should never have become Robin. Jason had been a failure Robin, a mistake that had already been rectified by a more suitable replacement.

Even knowing what Talia was trying to pull, Jason's heart ached with her words because they hit a sore spot that he made sure no one knew. He knew he wasn't like Dick and that many people had their doubts about Jason being his replacement, but he could show them that he was worthy. He could prove that he was a good Robin, even if he didn't agree on Batman's "no kill" rule all the time. He knew from experience that fear wasn't enough sometimes, there would always be criminals who aren't afraid.

Jason jumped the fence and walked the familiar road to the Wayne Manor with his heart jumping in his chest.

"_I'm home"_ the teen thought. _"I'm finally home."_

He was almost running when he passed by a window and saw Alfred, composed as ever, setting the dining table. Suddenly feeling awkward, Jason took cover on the bushes and stared at the butler who had babied him so many times. He couldn't just burst into the manor like that. Bruce and the others could think he was a ghost, a clone, an impostor or Clayface. Not to mention that Jason didn't want to give Alfred a heart attack, especially on Christmas Eve. He had to be careful, even if he couldn't wait to just seen them all again.

"_Screw it! I'm going in!"_ the boy thought, ready to leave his hiding place.

That was when Bruce and Dick appeared on the leaving room, happily chatting with each other and greeting a smiling Alfred. They didn't look sad or mourning at all, they actually looked happier than ever.

Jason retreated against the bushes. This… this wasn't what he expected to find. In his mind, he saw Bruce brooding over his death along with Alfred and Dick more than ever because he wasn't there to celebrate Christmas with them. He wanted to believe that they would be thinking of him, but apparently Jason's absence didn't even cross their minds. It was like they didn't even care that he was gone.

Then, the kid appeared. Jason felt his body frozen when he saw a black-haired boy walk towards Bruce and Dick. A boy he had never seen before.

The new boy said something to Bruce and the billionaire chuckled before placing a hand on his shoulder, then the kid went to Dick and the two laughed while Alfred served them tea and cookies.

The boy had the right build and the right look. He looked perfectly in tune with Bruce Wayne and the rest. Jason didn't have to see the R or the costume. He knew that kid was the new Robin and it was like he felt his own heart break into pieces.

The kid didn't bicker with Dick, they seemed to get perfectly along unlike Jason. Just like Talia had said. He had been replaced by a better kid, someone more like Dick, someone who wasn't like Jason at all.

Slowly, the teen boy rose from his hiding place and turned around, his head low and a stream of tears running down his bandaged face. He walked away from the manor and the happy people in it. Slowly, his footsteps were covered by the falling snow and he disappeared into the dark night.

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**Alright, I hope I got Jason in character. What do you think? Should I continue writing or leave it as it is?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Red Hood

**Hi! Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the first chapter, so I decided to continue.**

**It's a small chapter, but it's mostly introductory. Bear in mind that I'm basing my story on some events from Red Hood and the Outlaws, basically because I can totally see Jason and Roy as the angry duo in Young Justice.**

**Enjoy!**

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**The Red Hood**

**_One year later_**

**_Miami_**

**_November 2, 00:12_**

Henry Sandoval backed away until his back hit the wall. He couldn't run and there was no one left to protect him, all his men were dead.

How was that possible? How could twenty armed men lose against one single guy?

"Who the hell are you?" Sandoval asked, grabbing his Glock 18 with his trembling hands.

"Well… that doesn't really matter, does it?" the man with the red mask said, moving closer to the terrified man. "Now, Henry, we have to talk."

Sandoval fired, but the man moved out the way and kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the face before grabbing his neck. His gun fell to the ground, completely out of his reach.

"Maybe you didn't understand, I said we were going to **talk**" the masked man groaned.

"I haven't done nothin'!"

"We both know that's a lie" the masked man answered angrily as he pushed Sandoval against the wall. "Blackmail, hits, extortion, drug dealing, gun dealer, rape and even domestic abuse. Not even your wife and son escaped, you worthless scumbag!"

"Did… did that bitch sent you?" Sandoval asked. "Did she pay you? Because I can double it! I can pay you whatever…"

"I don't want your filthy money, Sandoval! I want answers! Where did you sent the nuclear weapons?"

"Wha…?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you sold them, I've seen your payment. You couldn't care less about the lives those bombs are gonna take, do you? All you see are those zeros on your bank account!"

"You're crazy! I didn't sell any weapons!" Sandoval yelled miserably. "I'm just an honest businessman" without hesitation, the masked man shot his right leg. "AAAAAHH! GOD DAMNIT! AAH! YOU SHOT ME!"

"Damn right. Lie to me again and I'll continue shooting. Now… tell me where you sent the bombs."

Bailing pathetically, Sandoval told him everything, which the masked man recorded on his hidden phone. Then, he remembered the families this man had destroyed, the kids who died of his drug dealing, the women he raped but never got justice and the beaten faces of his wife and son. He kept all those faces in his head as he punched Sandoval to the ground and shot him in the head.

Batman wouldn't have done it. Batman would have beaten Sandoval and his thugs into a pulp and left them for the cops to find. Then, Sandoval would either pay his bail or pay some of his buddy cops to keep him out of jail and free to continue his dirty work.

Now, Henry Sandoval would never hurt anyone ever again. It didn't matter that Batman would never approve. It _shouldn't_ matter, not anymore.

"Red Hood, here" he said to his phone. "Did you hear everything?"

"Every bit" a male voice said on the other side. "I guess we have work to do tonight."

"You can go back to bed once the bombs are destroyed, Arsenal."

"I wasn't planning on sleeping, though I had other plans in my mind. I'll bring Kori."

"Right" the Red Hood answered. "I'll see you in the harbor."

"Hood… There's something else" Arsenal said. "The League is already looking for the bombs. They'll find Sandoval soon and you. Nightwing and his gang are also looking."

Red Hood sighed as he jumped from the window into the nearest roof, avoiding any potential cameras. He knew the League Junior was already tracking him for months, but they had failed to catch him. There was no way he was going to let them sent him to jail or an asylum.

Also, he would never let them know who he really was.

"I have to work fast then" the Red Hood said.

"Do what you have to do, but don't get yourself killed" Arsenal said. "Wait for the team."

Under his mask, Red Hood frowned. "We're not a team, Arsenal."

"Maybe… but you need help and I sort of owe you. See you later, Hood."

Red Hood turned off his phone with a small smile. For reasons that he was still trying to comprehend, he had burst Roy Harper out of a prison in Qurac and let the redhead find out about his identity. Maybe it was because Red Hood identified with the original Roy Harper more than anyone else. He knew what was like to be taken away, forgotten and replaced by the people who were meant to care.

"_No time for moping"_ the seventeen-year-old thought. _"Time to blow up a submarine."_

* * *

**_Mount Justice_**

**_November 2, 18:23_**

Nightwing was having a bad day. It was bad enough to know that several nukes had been smuggled from the US to a group of terrorists, but it was even worse to discover that the guy who knew were they where was dead.

They had searched for the person who sold the bombs for weeks, but when Robin and his team had finally found him, they discovered he had been murdered along with every one of his bodyguards and associates.

They didn't take long to discover who had done it. He had been careful, but one of their satellites had caught the culprit leaving Sandoval's building.

The Red Hood. That guy was playing some serious moves. Both Dick and Bruce were worried when they first found out about the guy. There had been other criminals to use the Joker's old name, but this one was different. He was a very skilled fighter and could handle any kind of weapon from guns to knives.

Nevertheless, the guy wasn't their usual criminal. He worked as a vigilante, killing other criminals very effectively. As far as they knew, he didn't do it for money, greed or revenge, but he was still a dangerous Outlaw. No one could forget that he had been to one to break Arsenal out of jail or that the latter had joined forces with him, much to Green Arrow and Red Arrow's disbelief.

"Robin to Cave! Nightwing, are you there?" his communicator buzzed.

"Nightwing here. Did you find the bombs?"

"We were too late" Robin answered. "The bombs were taken by a submarine. By the time we got there someone had already blown it up."

Dick closed his eyes. He didn't need Tim to tell him who had been responsible for blowing the submarine.

"Robin, return to the Cave. The Red Hood beat us again."

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**So, the Red Hood's nature is introduced. Do you hate him? Understand him? **

**Unlike Bruce or Dick, Jason didn't come from a loving family. His upbringing made him a more difficult child, which is understandable. **

**For years, Jason was blamed in the comics for his own demise. Rather than see his last stand as heroic (he tried to save his mother, despite the fact that she sold him to the Joker), the comics focused on the fact that he was reckless and disobeyed Batman (which both Dick and Tim also do). Many characters flat out said that Jason was the "failed Robin" and implied that he got what was coming to him. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you liked it.**

**See ya!**


	3. Fire

**Thank you all for your reviews, favs and follows! I hope you keep enjoying this fic.**

**Now, there are a couple of things I wanted to warn you about. My Jason's back story was mostly based on the origin from Red Hood and the Outlaws #0. I'm aware of the differences before the reboot and I now that in the original Death in the Family, Jason found his biological mother, Sheila.**

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**Fire**

_**Unknown Island**_

_**November 2, 19:18**_

Jason landed the ship on the white sands of the Island he, Arsenal and Starfire called headquarters/home for the last months. Starfire had been living there alone ever since her spaceship crashed into Earth. It was her safe haven against enemies, prejudiced humans and broken hearts. No one was allowed to know about it, until the alien princess saved Jason Todd.

For some unknown reason, Princess Koriand'r saved the criminal known as Red Hood from drowning and nursed him back to health. She remained calm, gentle and polite despite his bad temper and listened to his story, treated him with affection. For that, Jason thought of the beautiful Starfire as one of his precious friends.

Damn, Kori was beyond beautiful. No man with blood in his veins could ignore her. She could have orange skin and pupiless green eyes, but looking at her made a man's blood pressure rise dangerously. Also, dismissing her as a simple pretty face and body was a deadly mistake. Kori was incredibly powerful. Her touch cold melt metal and her attacks could wipe out an entire battalion. If she wanted to, she could be a living nuclear bomb, though that didn't seem to dissuade Roy.

"Finally!" the red-haired young man said with a smirk. "I can't wait for a good meal."

"I assume blowing up weapons of mass destruction can be tiring" Koriand'r answered with her usual kind smile.

"It helps when you love your job, Kori. And we are very, very good at our job. We saved the world today, we should celebrate" Roy said. "What if we eat together? We can watch the sunset."

Jason always felt surprised on how different Roy was with them. With the Team, Arsenal was harsh and bitter, constantly angered by the clear preference everyone had over his clone, Red Arrow, and unable to forgive his mentor for giving up on him while he was frozen on ice in Lex Luther's hands. After Jason and Kori brought him along, Roy started to warm up to them and, before they knew it, he had found a place where he belonged and an amazing, hot girl to court.

"You two enjoy yourselves. I'm going to bed" Jason said, tossing Roy the keys of the kinda-of-stolen ship they got after defeating a vengeful scientist who tried to kill Kori over her Tamaranean origin.

"You don't want come, Jay?" Roy asked, honestly sounding disappointed. "You could have dinner with us once in a while."

"Two is company, three's a crowd" the raven haired teen answered, removing his mask from his head and facing his two companions. "Thanks anyway. I'll see you in the morning."

"Jason…" Kori called, floating towards him and staring at his face. "Are you well?"

Jason smirked but he knew he wasn't fooling her. He had almost been caught by the Team and he had seen the new Robin. She knew how he felt, how it still hurt.

"I'm fine, Kori. Have fun with Harper. I'll see you guys in the morning."

As he entered the crashed starship that became their home, Jason felt glad that Grayson hadn't come with the rest of the team. It wasn't just because he felt like punching the bastard, but also because Kori would be very upset to see him.

Jason didn't know the details; he had been too focused on being Robin to even notice Dick's new love interest at the time. Besides, the guy smiled and women flocked around him. Zatanna, Barbara… Dick had always been a charmer who enjoyed the company of beautiful girls, which wasn't necessarily bad (Jason also enjoyed the companionship of a good looking girl from time to time). Thus, when Nightwing met Starfire, they felt obviously attracted to each other and dated for a while. However, Kori's feelings grew from attraction. She wanted more than dating, she wanted love and she wanted a _forever_. She asked Dick if he loved her, he said no.

Rejection and heartbreak were feelings Jason Todd knew too damn well.

Brushing off depressing thoughts, the black haired youth entered his bedroom and took a nice and long shower. This was the part he enjoyed the most about finishing successfully a mission, the feeling of accomplishment and the time to finally relax.

As he cleaned himself up, Jason stared at his reflection in the foggy mirror. Fortunately, Talia had been right about his scars and burns, his face wasn't disfigured anymore and there were only faint scars of that fatidic night on his torso. Aside from that, he looked normal. Though… being dead and coming back was far from normal.

Unlike Roy's room or Kori's, Jason's bedroom door was soundproof. Not because he snored, but because he talked in his sleep, yelled. Jason's dreams were filled with crazed laughs of a demented clown and blood dripping from the crowbar that had beaten him into a pulp. Some nights, he also dreamed about his mother.

The worst part was that, up until the end, he had loved her. Catherine Todd wasn't the best mom, but the moments when she wasn't clouding her mind with drugs or too high to even notice his presence, Jason enjoyed the way she stroked his hair, the warmth of her hugs, the way she let him sleep in her bed when he was scared.

He knew he had to protect her, especially after his dad was arrested. He convinced himself that if he took care of her, his mom wouldn't be so depressed all the time and she would stop using drugs. That's why Jason stood by the door with a baseball bat to keep the dealers away from their house, which was why he stole medicine, clothes and food from his neighbors so she could eat and get better. Even as a small boy, he knew his mom was sick and he would do anything to help her, then they would be a family like the ones he saw on TV.

Then, one night, after he went looking for food, Jason returned to an empty house. He called his mom and looked all over for her, but he knew already why she wasn't home. The money he had hidden in the cookie jar was gone; she had gone to buy another dose.

He found her on a dirty alley, leaning against the wall with her head down like a broken doll. She looked like she was just asleep, so he shook her and called her name. After a while, his screams alerted the neighbors. The paramedics pushed him away as they tried to revive her, but it was worthless. They said she was dead. They called her _"another dead junkie"_. Still shaking with horror, Jason saw the lights of the police car and ran away. His mom was gone, he didn't want to go to jail too.

At the age of ten, he was all alone in the world and he needed to survive. No one cared about a street rat like him and he learned how to swallow his tears and harden his heart into stone. He didn't want to be a crook and he didn't hurt anybody, but he did what he had to do to stay alive in Gotham's deadly streets. He would have probably ended up dead a lot sooner if he hadn't try to steal Batman's tires and gotten caught.

Suddenly, Jason went from a crappy street to a luxurious mansion along with food, clean and warm clothes and even his own bedroom. Obviously he didn't believe the Bat was going to help him and he waited for his chance to run once the vigilante tried to send him to juvie, instead, he learned about Batman's secret identity, he got to know Bruce Wayne and Alfred, he trained hard and he became Robin. Suddenly, his life had a new meaning. He wasn't trash on the streets anymore; he was making a difference and being a hero. He wasn't alone anymore. It was the best time of his life.

But he should have known it wouldn't last. You could take the kid off the streets, but you couldn't take the streets off the kid. Jason's anger was what made him survive during his childhood and he used that same fire against the criminals he fought. Soon, both Batman and the Team felt uneasy with him. They were too used to Dick's easy nature and, probably subconsciously, they expected Jason to turn up just like his predecessor. When he didn't, once they realized Jason's fiery personality was a part of him, they started to doubt him and question openly if he should go on missions, if he wasn't too reckless and dangerous. After a while, Jason refused to go on missions with them all together. He knew when he wasn't wanted and he was sick and tired of being compared to _"Saint"_ Dick, who was perfect and God forbid if he ever did anything wrong.

It would have been fine, but Batman started to doubt him as well. Their fights grew more frequent with each patrol, the words became bitter. Finally, Bruce said something that hurt him more than all the insults he had heard on his life.

"I starting to think I made a mistake" Bruce told him grimly after another fight. "I should have never made you into Robin."

Those words cut deep, more than a knife. Over the years, he had come to look up to Bruce more than anybody else. He began to see him as the father he wished he had and, foolish and gullible as he was, he actually believed he felt the same way.

Soon, Jason was on monitor duty and he knew that was only a step away from being "fired". While he was looking at the different screens in the Bat Cave, he saw her. His mom shopping, happy, smiling. Alive.

Jason remembered how he stared at the holographic image for a long time, tears running down his cheeks and a smile of happiness on his face. He didn't even think when he packed his Robin costume and caught the next airplane. All he could think was about seeing his mother and hug her again. To hell with Bruce's permission! Who needed a fake family when he could have a real one?

So he tracked her down and he found her, just like he found that she was being blackmailed by the Joker into smuggling medical supplies from the clinic where she was working. Jason promised that he was going to protect her and told her not to worry. She took him to a warehouse, where they could talk about their plans to escape the Joker.

She lied.

The moment the doors closed, Jason was held at gun point by the Joker and his thugs. He looked desperately at his mother, confused.

"Mom…?"

Catherine looked down. "I'm sorry, but the Joker would never let me leave."

Jason tried to fight, but the thugs restrained him and handcuffed him. All he could do was stare at his mom, who he protected, who he loved, who had just betrayed him to an insane murder while pleading for her life to be spared.

When the Joker started beating him with the crowbar, Catherine looked away. The pain was unbearable, but Jason couldn't escape the blows. He felt every hit break his ribs, his jaw, his arms, ripping up flesh and muscle, until he was choking on his own blood.

"Wow, that looked like it really hurt" the Joker said with a huge grin on his face before hitting Jason several more times. "Whoa, now, hang on. That looked like it hurt a lot more. So let's try and clear this up, okay, pumpkin? What hurts more? A?" he beat him again on the torso. "Or B?" he hit him on his face, on his back, on his abdomen. "Forehand? Or backhand?"

The boy tried to talk, but the words wouldn't come. He didn't know how many of his bones were broken and it was getting hard to breath. Soon, the mad clown grew bored with the beating, so he ordered his men to tie Catherine to a pole and leave them both with a bomb about to explode.

"No! Don't leave me here!" his mom yelled. "I did everything you asked! You already have him! Don't let me die!"

Despite his pain, Jason tried to crawl to where his mother was tied up. He told her that he was going to save her and managed to untie her ropes. The moment she was free, his mother ran to the door and left him on the ground. Jason was too weak, too injured to move anymore and could only stare at her desperate attempts to open a door which was obviously locked.

With a sob, Jason looked at the bomb's timer and thought of Bruce. He remembered being sad that he didn't get to say "goodbye" or "thank you" or… "I'm sorry."

Then, the world exploded with pain and fire, and he plunged into the darkness.

After dressing his nightclothes, Jason lay on his bed and stared at the beautiful sunset. He should be dead and rotting on a coffin somewhere. Instead, a group of egomaniacs had brought him back into a world which didn't want him back.

It was pathetic how he still wondered how Bruce and the others would react if they knew that he was alive. Honestly, he had been about revealing his identity plenty of times. That's when he picked up the recorder Talia had given him.

After his disastrous attempt at his reunion in Gotham, Talia found Jason again and took him to be trained by the best assassins on the planet. Before she left, she gave him a recorder and told him that she had picked up frequencies on the Bat Cave and Mount Justice. He had recorded several conversations about him.

Though he knew the recordings by heart, Jason pressed the play button.

"_What are you __**doing**__ Bruce?" _Nightwing was yelling at Batman._ "When I was growing up with you, I always knew where the line was… Exactly what we did, exactly what we didn't do, and why. __But Jason didn't know what the hell he was doing or why!"_

**BIP**

"_It's not your fault"_ Alfred whispered._ "The lad was determined to disobey you." _

**BIP**

"_Jason was brash. Impulsive. Headstrong. Never looking before he leapt" _Batman said._ "But I didn't stop him because he wanted it so badly. He wanted too much to prove something."_

There were more conversations, several more. It hurt him, but he needed to hear his so called "friends and family's" true feelings about the arrogant and incompetent Robin. He needed to remember why revealing his identity was a huge mistake. He was dead to them and he should keep it that way. It wasn't that he didn't expect them to move on without him, he just didn't think they would move on so easily.

With a sigh, Jason turned off the recorder and closed his eyes. He hoped for a dreamless night for a change.

* * *

_**Mount Justice**_

_**November 2, 22:06**_

Tim and his squad returned to the Team's new headquarters with a tired and grim expression on their faces. The mission had been a total failure! The submarine and the nukes were destroyed, several criminals were dead and the Red Hood had escaped again. All that under Robin's lead!

As his companions hit the showers grumbling, Tim walked towards Nightwing, who was busy on the computer screen.

"We failed the mission" Robin said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry… I should have done better."

Nightwing stared at his protégé with a small but reassuring smile. "You did the best you could, Tim. Everyone came back alive, that's what really matters."

Tim nodded, but he still felt troubled. "It's just… I keep thinking that if I hadn't hesitated so much… if I wasn't so careful, we would have gotten there in time."

"No! You did well. You thought things through and played it safe" Dick answered, his voice slightly harsher.

"I know… But I wonder if I would be a better leader if I was more confident, more impulsive…"

"A leader needs to be careful, not impulsive!" Nightwing said, raising his voice. "You have to know the line between what you can and can't do! If you don't, you're being just reckless and irresponsible. We don't need that kind of Robin, both Batman and Team! If you don't watch out, you will certainly end up dead…"

Dick stopped talking; his eyes wide and shocked before clenching his fists. Tim didn't need to be a Martian to know who Dick was thinking about.

"Take a shower. We'll go back to Gotham in an hour" Nightwing said, shifting his focus to the computer screen once again.

Tim complied, though his mind was filled with questions he knew he couldn't ask. It was an unspoken rule in the Bat Team: no one talks about Jason Todd. It was ironic because Jason had been how he had found out Batman's secret identity and the reason why Tim was wearing the Robin costume right now.

It took him ages to convince Bruce that Batman needed a Robin. Jason's death had almost destroyed him and Nightwing and, even though no one dared to talk about him, they could still feel his ghost haunting them like an invisible force. When they went to the Bat Cave, Batman always glanced at the glass case with Jason's Robin costume, his eyes sad and filled with guilt and sorrow over the boy he couldn't save.

Despite never knowing him, Tim's entire training was a result of Jason's death. Both Batman and Nightwing repeatedly taught him the importance of thinking things through, to listen to orders, to look and wait before jumping into a fight. Their intentions were good, they wanted to keep Tim alive, and they didn't want to make the same mistake that cost Jason his life. However, Tim often found himself thinking way too long before acting to the point where he barely did anything at all.

* * *

**Gotham**

**November 2, 23:33**

When Tim and Dick arrived at the Bat Cave, Tim told his adopted older brother that he needed to do some research on the computer.

"Alright, but don't stay up until late" Dick said, his harshness long gone. "Remember you have school tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know! G'night!"

The moment Dick's left the cave, Tim logged into the training records and click on one of the videos from 2013. Batman was working with the League and Dick was probably getting into his bed, it was the perfect opportunity for Tim to learn more about his predecessor without opening old wounds.

There was nothing left of Jason Todd in the Manor. All his belongings had been taken, along with any photos of him; even his old bedroom was locked. The only thing that proved that the young boy had ever existed in that house was the glass case with his costume. Tim had expected Batman to erase all of Jason's data from the computer as well, but fortunately he hadn't.

The video was from a training exercise. Tim's eyes widened as he saw the twelve year old Robin running through the fake alley, throwing kicks and shuriken with an infectious grin on his mischievous face.

"_That's it? You could have given me something harder to beat, old man!"_ Jason yelled at the screen.

"_Cockiness will get you killed"_ Batman answered through the communicator.

"_I finished your little maze in no time flat."_

"_You scored in the 95__th__ percentile, Jason" _Bruce answered solemnly. _"But you need to be __**better**__ than that" _the camera shifted towards a holographic old lady that Jason's shuriken had accidently hit. _"Collateral damage is simply __**unacceptable**__."_

"_Yeah, well…"_ the young Robin in-training mumbled, both ashamed and defensive. "_Maybe the old biddy ratted us out to the Moxon mob. Bet she was a stoolie." _

"_I'm resetting the program. Stretch out and get ready to go again!" _

Jason pouted for two seconds before smirking at the camera. _"Fine! I bet I can finish it even faster! Keep your eyes open, Bruce!"_

Tim had to smile at the kid. He was definitely different from Dick, but he had his own charm. Back when he was a little kid, Tim remembered staring at the TV screen and watching Robin kick the bad guys' butt. Jason had been the Robin he had looked up to, the one he saw as cool, badass and apparently unstoppable. The Robin on fire!

Silently, the young teenager turned off the computer and undressed his uniform. As he glanced at the case, he couldn't help but wonder what Jason would think of him as his successor.

He wished he could have gotten to know him.

* * *

**Jason had two different back stories before the reboot. The first, he was a young acrobat just like Dick and had red hair. Then, during the Infinite Crisis, his origin was changed to the better known story of Jason as a street kid (with real black hair) who tried to steal the tires of the Batmobile.**

**Then why is Jason's hair red in some of the recent issues while keeping his street punk origin? Because the writers either A) didn't do their research or B) they did and didn't care. The result was a very weird adaptation of the Red Hood. One moment he was fine, the other he was insane. In one issue he was an anti-hero, the other he was a crazy psychopath.**

**Which was why, in my opinion, the new 52 was the best thing for Jason's character because it gave him consistency. **

**There are many people who strongly disagree and enjoy the "Villain Jason" more and I'm okay with that. I'm not an expert. I'm just someone who started reading the comics last November because I loved Jason's character on the Batman: Under the Red Hood movie.**

**I hope you liked the chapter! Feel free to tell me what you thought!**

**See ya! **


	4. Dead and Living

**Hi! I'm sorry for the long update. Unfortunately I haven't been able to update my stories. **

**On a happier note, I finally bought Injustice: Gods among Us. I'm still waiting for the Red Hood DLC (not Joker!). Apparently there was a vote for the next DLC, but I didn't know until it was over. I hope they still bring Jason.**

**I hope you like the chapter.**

* * *

**Dead and Living**

_**Unknown Island**_

_**November 17, 11:50**_

It had been a lazy morning.

After three days of dismantling a human trafficking ring, which included a lot of bullets, different kinds of arrows, fire blasts, broken bones, dead bodies and lots of bruises, Jason officially announced they were taking a few days off.

It wasn't easy to evade the Justice League and the Team from finding them, but Roy had recently discovered a new-found pleasure for technology and managed to throw them off. From the newspapers Jason read the next day, all the heroes had found were the terrified, yet free slaves and bodies of their captors. Captain Atom declared that they would find and apprehend the _'brutal vigilantes before their destructive nature caused more casualties.'_

Thanks for nothing, Captain.

They wouldn't lose a night's sleep mourning over those poor criminals. Not after what they had done to those people, using them as slaves, sexual objects, stealing their organs only to discard them once they were of no further use like trash. It was the ugliest face of humanity.

Jason, Roy and Kori had seen a lot of ugly, perhaps too much. They saw so much ugliness in this world that it almost made Jason lose faith in humanity.

"It's important to take a step back and stare at all the goodness there still is in the world," Alfred used to say. "We need to see the good to remember why we are fighting in the first place."

_Alfie. Good, old Alfred._

Leaning against a rock by the ocean, Jason smiled fondly. Despite everything, thinking of the old butler always made him smile, even if his chest ached with longing and regret. Alfred was the one who was there for him when he needed, be it food, medical treatment of simply to hear him when no one else bothered to ask Jason how he felt. Alfred was the glue that held the Bat Family together, without him they would all be lost.

Running down the beach, Jason remembered the one time he had honestly cried in shame. Not when Bruce figured out what he had done on the streets to buy food for his mother, not when he messed up on patrol for the first time, not even when Bruce yelled at him that he should be more like Dick. No. Jason Peter Todd had burst into tears when he let Alfred down.

* * *

_**Gotham **_

_**December **_

_**4 years earlier**_

_Only a few months after Jason started attending Gotham Academy and things weren't working out at all. Bruce had been inflexible on his decision to enroll him on the prestigious school, no matter how much the thirteen-year-old complained that he didn't belong on some fancy school with uniforms and filled with rich kids. After two years being home-schooled in the Manor until he reached his peers, the last thing Jason wanted was to be forced to go to a place where we would never fit in. _

_After a lot of yelling, cursing and punishments, Jason had no choice but put on the stupid uniform and go with Dick to that stupid school. Being the new kid was bad enough, but being Bruce Wayne's new ward and Dick's new 'brother' put him immediately under the unwelcome spotlight. It didn't take long for everyone to realize how different Jason was from the friendly and popular Dick Grayson and for the comparisons and criticism to begin. By the end of the first day, Jason had broken two noses and was sent to the Principal's Office. _

_There were no improvements the following weeks. Jason had a lot of enemies and no friends. All the teachers had met Dick and made Jason shake with rage as they consistently compared both boys and praised the oldest. Every time Dick tried to talk to him, it only made Jason angrier and they both ended up yelling at each other and regularly coming to blows. Bruce was furious, vehemently believing Jason was being difficult on purpose and refused to take him out of that school and enroll him in a public one. For the first time in a long time, Jason missed his freedom on the streets where he didn't continuously feel out of place and a big, fucking failure. But he knew he was being selfish and ungrateful, which only made him feel even lower._

_One night, while Jason was grounded (again), Alfred entered his bedroom with a tray of fresh-baked cookies, his school uniform and some old book._

"_I thought prisoners weren't allowed to eat cookies. Or did you bring them to torture me, Al?" the pre-teen asked, taking off his headphones. _

"_Of course not, Master Jason. You are free to eat as much as you want."_

_Jason jumped from his bed and walked towards the butler, grabbing one of the warm cookies. "Bruce doesn't know you brought them, does he?"_

"_Master Bruce didn't ask," Alfred opened the wardrobe and placed the uniform inside. "He did miss you at dinner. We all did."_

"_Yeah, right," Jason laughed bitterly. "I bet you guys really missed all the yelling from the '_stubborn, irascible'_ brat. And by the way, I do know what irascible means. I'm not as dumb as he thinks."_

"_He doesn't think that, Master Jason."_

_Jason felt his eyes burn and looked at the window. "Yes, he does."_

_Alfred turned to the boy with a sad gaze. "Master Bruce was angry when he said that. I know it is difficult for you to understand, but Master Bruce is only doing what he believes is best for you."_

_Jason lowered his head and swallowed a cookie. "But he's wrong, Alfred. He thinks he's always right, but he's wrong. He doesn't understand. I don't belong in that school… I'm not Dick."_

_The butler closed the wardrobe and sat next to the boy. "Master Richard is himself. Obviously, you're not going to be him. You are two different people with different backgrounds, experiences and personalities." Surprised, Jason looked up at Alfred. "Asking you to be like Master Richard would be like asking fire to be like water. Unreasonable and unfair… that's what I just told Master Bruce."_

_Jason couldn't believe it. Alfred had stood up for him? In front of Bruce?_

"_You… really did that?"_

_Alfred nodded and placed a warm hand around his shoulders. "Master Bruce is stubborn. Probably as stubborn as you, which is why you two argue so much. You are too alike. But that does not mean that he doesn't care for you, quite the opposite. Enrolling you on the Academy wasn't to place you under Master Richard's shadow; it was so you could have the same opportunities he did. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't believe you could do it."_

_Jason felt himself blush. So far, his grades had been miserable and he recognized he hadn't made that much of an effort to control his temper. He had only given the teachers and the other students more reasons to look down on him._

"_Which reminds me… I believe you'll be needing this," Alfred handed the old book to Jason. It was a very old version of Oliver Twist. The pages were yellowed and used; obviously Alfred had read it thousands of times. And, on the first page, there was an autograph from some guy named Ron Moody._

"_What's this?"_

"_That, young sir, is an autographed version of Oliver Twist by none other than Ron Moody, the actor who won the Golden Globe from the musical. It was one of the few possessions I brought from England. It reminds me of my happier days as an actor. I played the role of Artful Dodger as a boy, believe it or not," the butler explained, looking truly happy. "You know the story?"_

"_Oliver Twist? Sure. There are lots of movies about it."_

"_But you have to read the book and deliver a paper about it, don't you?"_

"_Yeah…" Jason didn't question Alfred's knowledge about his homework, since he always seemed to know what he had to study. Still, Jason was planning on watching the movie and use the internet for that assignment. _

"_Well, I would like you to read it from this book."_

_The boy gaped. "Wait. What? From this one? Your book?"_

"_Of course. I would be honored to lend it to you."_

"_But… this is your book. You just said it's special to you," Jason honestly didn't know what to say. Alfred couldn't lend something this important and personal. Not to him. _

"_Well, I know Master Bruce has a fine collection of Dickens novels in the library, but… I wanted you to read the story from my book, Master Jason. I hope you'll like it as much as I did."_

_Jason grabbed the book and hesitantly hugged Alfred. "I… I'll read it. I'll take good care of it, Alfred. Thank you."_

_The butler smiled warmly and led the boy to the kitchen so he could eat his dinner._

_A few days later, Jason was working on his paper on the city's library. He had read the book and even enjoyed it, though he wished Artful Dodger had a happy ending. More importantly, Jason was determined to make Alfred proud and prove Bruce that he could be a good student. He couldn't help but wishing for a prize of his own among the trophies of the school, including Dick's._

_He took the subway in the late afternoon, right after he finished the paper. He felt proud of himself and knew that he was going to get a good grade. He had worked on it for days straight, along with other homework, training and patrol. No wonder he felt so drowsy._

_When he got to the station, Jason yawned, grabbed his backpack and walked towards the exit along the other passengers. Then, it all happened very fast. _

_He left the subway at the same time he felt someone pull his backpack. Surprised, the boy turned around and saw a man with a green bonnet pulling his backpack from his shoulder to the subway. Jason tried to go back inside, only to be knocked down by the hasty passengers._

_In horror, he saw the doors close and the subway disappear inside a tunnel along with the thief, his backpack, his phone, his paper on Oliver Twist and Alfred's book._

_Jason refused to go back home without Alfred's book, so he went looking for the thief and every pawn shop he could find, praying the guy didn't burn it. He looked everywhere without stop under the freezing snow. He couldn't go home without the book. He couldn't let Alfred down, not when he had trust him with something so important from his past. He wouldn't stop until he found it._

_Batman and Nightwing found the boy almost 48 hours later, wet and freezing, trying to break into a pawn shop and completely inconsolable. _

_Jason got pneumonia and was taken to the Hospital. He almost lost two of his fingers to the cold. Still, all he could think about was Alfred's book and how he had failed him by being so useless and stupid to have let some thief take it._

_The butler himself went to see him in the hospital. He told Jason not to worry about the book, that it wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't have put himself in danger over it, that it didn't matter, it was just some old book…_

_That was when Jason broke down into tears, shame and regret burning his insides like acid. Alfred was shocked and tried to calm him down, while the boy said he was 'sorry' over and over._

* * *

_**Unknown Island**_

_**Present day**_

Jason ran towards the fallen spaceship he now called home. Kori was sitting in a chair, under the sun. As soon as she heard Jason, she looked at him and smiled.

"Hello. Did you have a good run?" she asked joyfully.

"Yes. I missed my morning run." Kori reached out for the cooler and tossed Jason a water bottle. "Thanks, Kori. Where the hell is Harper?"

Koriand'r shrugged. "Roy said he wanted to buy new clothes since his old ones are growing too tight, though I don't see what the problem with tight clothing is. You earthlings give too much importance to those things."

Jason finished his water bottle and laughed. "I guess you're right, Kori. But you have to understand not everyone looks as great as you in any clothing."

"Thank you, Jason. You're not so bad yourself… or Roy. He smiles a lot more now, don't you agree?"

"I guess. I wasn't paying attention to his smiling patterns, but I guess he isn't as doom and gloom as he used to be."

Kori pulled her long hair away from her face. "None of us is. I'm glad. Oh! There comes Roy!"

Arsenal landed the ship and jumped to the sand. He was carrying several red bags which, with his red clothes, made him look like a long-haired Santa Claus. "Morning. I've come bearing gifts."

"It's a bit early for Christmas, Harper," Jason said, while Starfire stood up and floated towards him.

"What did you bring?" she asked.

"A bit of everything. I got us some tech and computers…"

"AKA more toys to you," Jason grinned.

Roy chuckled. "I do love my toys. I also bought more computers to aid our cause since two of them blew up on our faces last time we tried to hack into the JL computer. This time I bought Wayne Tech. You know, Jason, from Gotham. You said they had good quality."

Jason stared at the familiar logo on the computers. "Yes. Yes, they have."

Sensing his new friend's discomfort, Roy quickly placed the new tech on the bag. Like all Bat-Kids, Jason was extremely secretive when it came to his and Batman's identity. He only knew Nightwing's first name was 'Dick' (really?) because Kori had mentioned it. Aside from that, he only knew that his leader's name was Jason Todd, he was from Gotham and the second Robin, killed by the Joker about a year before Roy was found in Tibet.

Jason was cool. He understood what Roy had been through, which explained why he felt more at home with him and Kori than with Ollie and the Team. As far as Roy was concerned, these were his new teammates now, hopefully for a long, long time.

"What else did you bring, Harper?"

"I bought Kori a dress," Roy took out the white dress. "I saw you staring at it in the catalog."

Kori smiled, admired the dress and gave Roy a hug that lifted him up from the ground. "Thank you, Roy. This is a wonderful present."

"You're… welcome," Roy answered, his cheeks matching his clothes now.

"Well, it does feel like Christmas now," Jason said.

"You didn't think I'd forget you, did you, Jaybird?"

Jason smiled dangerously. "Call me 'Jaybird' again and I'll give **you** a nice present."

"Always so nice and caring, our beloved leader," Roy grinned mischievously and tossed Jason a new Red Hood helmet. "I have more spare parts if you want to build more. Though you really should stop blowing them up."

Jason stared at the small, yet deadly bomb inside his helmet. Pressing a bottom on his uniform was enough to make an explosion, after he removed the helmet from his head of course.

"I'll think about it. What about the rest of the bags, Harper?"

"Oh. This..." Roy bended over and took something out of the bag. "…is my new style."

Roy had bought a trucker hat. A freaking trucker hat. A freaking green, trucker hat, with _'I'm not rude. I just don't like you'_ written with bright red letters.

"What the hell?" Jason cried out, while Kori blinked in confusion.

"Cool, isn't it?" Roy said happily, putting on the hat. "I saw it on a store and it was love. But when asked some girl what she thought she said I looked like an idiot. So…" he picked up the bag and dumped a bunch of trucker hats on the sand. "… I bought them all."

Jason covered his eyes with his hand. "Oh, for Christ's sake."

"How many do you have there?" Kori asked, picking up a blue with _'What would Tesla do?'_ written.

"About twenty-five. I think I'm going to start collecting them and wear a different one each day. Isn't it cool?"

"It looks like fun, Roy," Kori said.

"Don't encourage him, Kori. All that's missing is a _'Kiss me. I fight crime'_ hat."

"Well, now that you mentioned it…" Roy picked up the respective trucker hat with those same words, in **pink**.

"For crying out loud!"

* * *

After a shower, Jason put on some clean clothes and met Kori and Roy (still wearing the damn hat!) in the kitchen. All three knew how to cook, but Roy had the decency of bringing pizza which meant a laid-back lunch in dining room, sitting on Kori's giant sofas and watching the new on their new giant plasma TV. Sometimes, life was good.

After eating, Jason began to doze off, barely listening to Roy and Kori talking about visiting Venice or Monte Carlo. It would be nice, he guessed, going on vacation, having fun. They had the money to do it.

It would be nice to forget the crimes, the League, the Team, Batman and the Joker, even if only for a short while. Damn, Jason and Roy were seventeen and Kori twenty-one, they should be living while they could.

But Jason knew why couldn't feel at ease. He would never feel at peace as long as he heard the Joker's laugh every night, his mother's cries, the pain of the crowbar on his body. It would never stop until he found that fucking clown and killed him. That was the reason he was brought back into this world while so many of Ra's warriors had perished in the labs.

He was going to find the Joker and do what Batman should have done. What he would have done for Batman, who thought so little of Jason that he had tarnished his memory with insults and let his killer run free.

Alfred had been wrong. Bruce had never cared. Just like with his father and mother, Jason had been nothing but a mistake. But he had been worst because he had allowed Jason to hope. He should have left him in the streets.

Suddenly, Jason's green-blue eyes snapped open and he stood up with a jump. Batman was fighting on the TV. He was kicking several soldiers and policemen with deathly pale skin and hollow eyes. Jason had seen those eyes. He had those eyes before.

"There are no explanations about why these people are attacking Washington DC," the reporter said, the camera angle changing from one Justice League member to another. "There have been reports of witnesses claiming to know these soldiers and police officers, however they also claim they were dead."

"Jason? Jason, are you alright?" Kori asked. "You look pale."

"I'm fine, Kori. I'm fine."

Roy stood up and stared at his leader. "What now? Are we going to do something about this?"

In response, Jason glared at the monitor.

* * *

_**Washington DC**_

_**November 17, 14:02**_

"I don't get it," Beast Boy asked. "Washington is being attacked by whom?"

The entire Team flew over the city, still trying to understand what on earth was going on. According to the news reports, several buildings, military bases and police stations were under attack. According to the images, the enemies were police officers and soldiers.

"I've identified about twenty attackers," Nightwing said, his fingers running through the ship's computer. "But… something doesn't make sense."

"What?" Batgirl asked, moving next to him and looking at the data. "Wait… Those dates… Is that what I think it is?"

"What?" Conner asked.

"All the identified attackers are listed as… deceased," Nightwing informed the shocked team.

"How can **that** be possible?" Bumblebee asked, frowning. "There must be a mistake with the data."

"Maybe they're spies who faked their own death!" Impulse suggested.

"Not according to the files I pulled," Nightwing added. "Most of these men and women died on the line of duty and they were autopsied. There are photos and videos of the autopsies to prove it."

"What are you saying, Nightwing?" Tim asked, as dumbfounded as the rest. "Are those people… zombies?"

"That's impossible!" Bumblebee hissed. "It's scientifically impossible to make a dead body use it's motor functions again."

Nightwing showed them the television images of the dead attackers. Their bodies were beaten and grey and their eyes were hollow. Beating or shooting them seemed to have no effect at all, like they couldn't feel pain.

Superman had already arrived at the scene and though he tossed one of the zombies against a wall, he just stood up with his broken arm and attacked him again viciously.

All in all, it was a terrible afternoon. Both the Team and the League tried not to harm the supposed zombies, while their families and loved ones cried in vain to make them stop and come to their senses. It was horrifying to see someone they loved who had died and watch helplessly as their bodies were controlled like dolls.

"Please! Please, don't hurt him!" a middle aged man begged Batman, blocking his way. "Please, he's my son. He came back to us. Please… this is a miracle."

"This is no miracle," Batman answered, pushing the grieving father away from his zombie son's attack. "This is a curse. That's not your son anymore."

Dick stared sadly at the crying father before focusing on his own fight. Nightwing and Robin managed to electrocute several zombies, which slowed them down but didn't stop them.

"I got it!" Batgirl yelled. "There an unknown magnetic field surrounding the city. That can't be a coincidence!"

"I'll find it!" Blue Beetle yelled, flying into the sky.

_There, Jaime Reyes. The magnetic energy is coming from those coördinates _the Scarab told him.

"Right! I'm on my way," Jaime flew across the city, landing on a roof top where he found a small machine, very similar to a radio. _Guys, I think I found it. Hold on, I'm going to get rid of it. _

_Wait, Blue_, Batgirl urged. _We have no idea what that machine is doing or why. _

_What do you want me to do?_

_Can you reverse the magnetic field or stop the transmission without destroying the machine?_

_I don't know… I'll try_, Jaime aimed both his hands to the strange machine and watched as his armor morphed and released a strange light.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening and Blue Beetle was about to ask for permission to blow the machine when he realized the readings were becoming weaker. In the city, the zombies stopped moving a stared blankly into the sky before falling to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Carefully, trying to block the zombie's father's cries of anguish as he shock his son's body, Batman checked his vital signs. There were no pulse, no breathing, no heartbeat…

They were dead.

* * *

**This chapter's pace was a bit slower than I expected, but I still hope you guys liked it. What do you think of Alfred as the Artful Dodger (aka Jack Dawkins)?**

**Yeah, I brought Roy's trucker hat into the story. I regret nothing!**

**Also, the prequel to this story is called Robin Legacy. I'm writing them side simultaneously.**

**I hope you liked it. Feel free to leave new cool phrases for Roy's hats! **


	5. Project Lazarus

**Project Lazarus**

_**The WatchTower **_

_**November 17, 16:09**_

Batgirl's call to not destroy the machine was greeted with a satisfied nod from Batman, who immediately began to look over it. It took him almost thirty seconds to crack the password and finally find the contents he was looking for and more.

There was an encrypted video.

"Superman and the others are coming," Barbara said, staring at the monitors. "Black Canary stayed to inform the authorities."

Batman nodded. "And the bodies?"

"We got permission to do an autopsy," Nightwing told them as he entered the room, followed closely by Robin. "It's going to be complicated though… the families are demanding their loved ones back."

"They're hoping they can come back to life again," Batman said flatly. "As soon as they realize they were dead all along, the better."

Nightwing frowned but remained silent. Bruce's coldness unnerved him, even though he knew his mentor was right. Dick couldn't help but feel sympathy for those families, he knew he wouldn't be able to fight his parents' zombies either.

"So… I heard we have a video?" Green Arrow entered the room, followed by the other members of the League and the Team. "Did the zombie puppet master leave it on purpose?"

"Yes. He knew we were going to be dealing with the zombies, find his machine and stop them," Batman explained. "He was either stupid or very confident."

"Then what was the purpose of the attack?" Wonder Woman asked. "Test us against his or hers' creation?"

"Either that or to test the creation on us," Batman answered.

Superman crossed his arms around his massive chest, the cries of those families still echoing in his head. He looked really angry. "Let's see what this person wants us to hear."

Batman pressed the play bottom and the face of a middle-aged, brown-haired man filled the screen. He was sitting in a simple black chair, against a white background.

"_**Greetings, Members of the Justice League. I see you've managed to not only stop my soldiers but also find this message. Congratulations."**_

"Soldiers?!" Conner cried out in outrage. "Who does he think…?"

"Hush, Conner," M'gann told him, grabbing his arm.

"_**I know you will study the remnants of my transmitter device, as well as trying to figure out how it made dead humans come back to life. Well… let me save you the trouble, even though I know you will try to confirm everything I said. My name is Dr. Edward Robb. I'm a scientist with enough resources to create my own army of, if you want to be specific, undead soldiers. The ones you saw were only a mere fraction of my greatest arsenal, which I will be using very soon. There is so much to the human body, even after death. Why waste bodies by burying or cremating them if they can still serve a greater purpose?"**_

"Bastard!" Wonder Girl hissed.

"_**I have no doubt that you won't understand the greater purpose. Just as I know that you'll try to stop me, so let me make this clear. You can't stop me. It is too late for that. But feel free to try and humor me. Who knows? Maybe you'll have the honor of joining my soldiers. Until then… Farewell."**_

Dr. Robb smiled coldly at the camera and the screen went black. Batman rose from his seat and faced his livid companions.

"Find everything you can about Dr. Edward Robb."

Three hours later they had collected a fair amount of information on the '_good_' doctor. Apparently, Edward Robb was under FBI investigation for thirty murders across nine different hospitals across the US. His photo matched the man they saw in the video.

Dr. Robb was a brilliant biologist and geneticist, claiming to have developed numerous cures for untreatable diseases. Unfortunately, his oblivious patients always ended up dead. Then, about two years ago, he vanished without a trace.

Through face recognition, they found he had taken several planes right after his escape from the last hospital where he had been. Dr. Robb looked happier and chatted endlessly with the equally satisfied passengers that accompanied him from one plane to the next. A quick check revealed those passengers were all scientists from different fields. It also revealed them as currently missing.

Their final destination: Antarctica.

* * *

_**Antarctica**_

_**November 17, 19:21**_

Batman stared at the white snow with a frown. Beside him, Superman had just finished using his X-Ray vision on the huge mountains of ice.

"Well?" the Dark Knight asked.

"There's nothing on the surface, but I found a huge building underground," Clark explained. "There should be about thirty sub-levels. I have no idea how they manage to build this, especially in secret."

"Money usually silences people. So does murder," Batman answered bitterly. "Is anyone inside?"

Superman shook his head. "No. Unless they're hidden in a lead bunker, I can't find any signs of life, just… bones."

Batman nodded. It meant there were dead bodies inside.

Clark had no trouble finding the entrance and opening the twisted, metal door. Their small team, consisting of Batman, Superman and the Flash, entered the desolate building in silence. Batman noticed the signs of a struggle and the charred remains of several humans.

"Whoever worked here was murdered and burned into a crisp to prevent recognition," the Dark Knight said, inspecting the human remains and searching for viable bones for DNA identification. "Whatever they were doing, someone didn't want the world to find out."

"They killed them once they were of no further use. How much you wanna bet these are the missing scientists?" Barry asked, staring sadly at the bodies.

"What were they working on that was so secretive? And how was Dr. Robb involved? You think he was the one behind this?" Superman asked.

Batman shook his head. "Robb didn't have the resources to build this. My guess is that he was either released or escaped his colleagues' fate."

The Flash checked the building, though with considerable difficulty due to its bad shape. They found thousands of bodies, destroyed labs and burnt documents. Through careful observation, Batman realized they had been conducting human experiments.

_It is possible that Robb discovered the way to bring back the dead from this place,_ Bruce thought gloomily.

"Batman! Over Here!" Flash cried out, pointing towards another broken computer. "This one is in better shape than the others. Can you find something?"

Silently, the Dark Knight pulled a USB connector cable and used the holographic computer in his gloves. His lips twitched with a small grin when he realized that the contents on that computer were mostly intact, thus downloading them into his own. The security was really good, which took him almost two minutes to crack. Soon, Batman was searching through the files until he found something that made him frown.

"They called this Project Lazarus," he explained his teammates. "Apparently, they were using a new component to bring viable dead bodies back to life and reveal the secret of immortality to those who were deemed worthy."

Superman glared at this friend's computer. "Worthy? What does that mean? Who were they trying to bring back to life?"

"Warriors. From the list I found, they had a huge collection of dead soldiers, warriors and assassins. They have files on their 'Life Data' and 'Rebirth Data'. From what I see, the results were disappointing."

"What do you mean?" the Flash asked.

"Their objective was to use the formula they created, called the Lazarus Formula, to bring these people back to what they were in their prime. All they got were human vegetables, who were as useful as they were in death."

Clark sighed and looked around at the broken pods and the bones inside. "They got rid of the 'failures' as well."

"At least we know were Dr. Zombie got his Frankenstein juice," the Flash remarked, staring back at Batman's holographic screen before his eyes widened in confusion. "Wait… what is that file? The one on the far right? Why isn't it with the rest of the other files?"

Batman followed the Flash's finger and clicked on the file, whose data immediately caught his attention.

_**Lazarus Project, Subject #2620**_

_**Gender: Male**_

_**Age: 15**_

_**Success Rate: 89%**_

_**Status: Alive**_

"Wait. _'Alive'_? They did it?" the Flash asked, his blue eyes wide with shock and a little fear. "They brought someone back from the dead?"

"Since they were aiming for the 100%, he wasn't exactly a success," Batman answered, reading subject #2620 'Rebirth Data'. "According to the reports, the subject had severe brain damage from his pre-mortem injuries, along with several broken bones. He was able to talk, but his communication skills were severely impaired."

Superman's kind blue eyes shone with pity. "He was just fifteen… poor kid. How come all those adult warriors remained vegetables while this kid managed to get well enough to talk again?"

"They changed the formula once they realized he was showing results. The rest is pure luck, biology or some other reason," Batman explained, sounding as detached as ever.

"You think they killed him again? Even if those results?" Flash asked.

"Probably. They _were_ aiming for perfection," Batman answered. "They had no use for a brain-damaged teen."

In response, Clark's hand slashed a pipe in two. "How could they do something like that? Especially to a kid? They were scientists and doctors. Does human life mean nothing to them?"

Batman nodded, but remained silent as usual. His own fury inside him. On the other hand, the Flash patted Superman on the back and agreed fiercely with what he said.

"We should see who he was. If he had a family, then… I know I would want my kid to go home. We could find his bones and bring him back," the speedster said, his mind thinking about his energetic nephew whose life had been so tragically cut short.

Batman nodded and clicked on the 'Life Data' file. Then, his whole unemotional expression shattered into absolute shock.

**Jason Peter Todd**

It felt like someone had stolen all the air in his longs and Bruce couldn't breathe. He heard Clark and Barry saying something, but their voices sounded very distant. At first, he didn't register what the computer was telling him. It was impossible, it couldn't be Jason. Why would be Jason of all people?

**Jason Peter Todd**

**Date of Birth: August 16, 1999 **

**Death: April 27, 2014**

When it started to finally sink in, Bruce began to gasp. His blue eyes wide, his face pale and sweaty. He was hyperventilating, but he couldn't stop it. It felt like the ground had been taken away from his feet.

**Age: 14 years and 8 months old**

**Alias: Robin**

"_Robin?_ The kid is… was…" the Flash said, staring in shock at both the screen and Batman.

"Oh, my God. Batman? Batman, are you alright?" Clark asked, grabbing his friend's shoulders. "Just breathe… try to breathe slowly…"

**Cause of Death: Multiple Severe Trauma (Murdered)**

**Murderer: Joker**

_No..._

Batman broke free from Superman's hold and dashed towards the broken elevator and sub-level twenty where #2620's pod was supposed to be. Where Jason had been, when he should be resting in peace at home.

_No. No. No._

Batman kicked the elevator's door open and ran down the destroyed lab, barely glancing at the corpses inside the pods. He wasn't ready to see it. He didn't want to see Jason's bones, but he had to know. He had to.

However, when he got to #2620's pod, he found it intact and without a body inside. The whole area around looked preserved, like no one had tried to destroy it.

"Batman… what…?" Superman looked around, also surprised by the lack of corpses and destruction. The Flash's reaction mirrored his own.

Batman turned around and started running towards the elevator again, his teammates following him with a careful distance.

"Let's go back to Gotham. The cemetery," he said without looking back. "I need to see for myself."

No one dared to contradict him.

* * *

**Gotham**

**November 17, 21:51**

They left the Batwing floating over the city's cemetery and followed the distraught Batman through the graves.

Jason's grave looked undisturbed, but Bruce wouldn't be able to notice small changes. He only visited the grave twice a year, on Jason's birthday and death day. If someone wanted to steal his body, it would be ridiculously easy… Bruce didn't even put sensors on the coffin.

He should have been more careful. He should have protected him. Why couldn't he protect him? Why did he keep failing him?

"Superman, use your X-Ray vision," Batman ordered, without turning around. Superman nodded and his eyes shone for a few seconds before he lowered his head sadly. "Well? He is there?"

"Batman…"

"IS HE THERE?!"

Barry cringed uncomfortably, while Clark merely stared at Batman's back.

"I don't see any bones there, just the coffin. I'm sorry."

Batman's hands started shaking and his eyes burned. Suddenly, he started digging the grave with his hands.

"Batman!" the Flash cried out, but the Dark Knight ignored him, focusing on the work at hand, trying not to think of the file he read, trying not to remember his last angry words with Jason, the way he looked so angry and sad when he told him he shouldn't have been Robin. The blast from the explosion, holding the dead body his adopted son in his arms… No matter how much he tried not to remember, the more vivid those memories became.

He barely noticed when Clark joined him and their fingers finally hit the coffin. Bruce stood there, frozen as Superman opened the coffin and he confirmed what he had denied since he read the file.

The coffin was empty. Jason wasn't there. He hadn't been there for a long time.

_They took him… they took him away from me_, Bruce thought.

Superman tried to reach out for Batman, but the latter turned around and vanished into the dark night. Clark didn't need to use his superpowers to know that he was crying.


End file.
